Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Japanese Barberry

(+2 insets!) It's been such a lovely day! It began with a hint of frost followed by a brilliantly sunny, gorgeous morning and afternoon! Steve has been working on our deck and we've both had such a lovely time. I took pictures this morning and enjoyed hours of happily visiting contacts, and looking through and processing images for my post tomorrow! I was so engrossed in my processing that I nearly forgot…I need to write about and post my picture today! I have a handful ready to go from our trip down south and I thought that some festive red berries would do the trick! On our second hike up into the hills above San Anselmo, Nathalie took Steve and I through another beautiful natural area and then down into the pretty residential streets so we could appreciate the lovely homes and gardens as we strolled along. Strolled along? STROLLED? More like dragged by the ear kicking and screaming! Every inch of the way there were endless things for me to take pictures of! Steve had his camera but he and Nathalie were enjoying their conversation too much for him to think about photography. So, every few moments they'd had to stop and wait for me to catch up with an increasingly guilty look on my face. "But there are so many cool things to take pictures of!" Steve coaxed with a pointed statement, "I am beginning to starve to death!" Heh…well…I ended up getting piles of pictures even if I had to skip 90% of the amazing possibilities! :D Along the way were many different beautiful berries growing on bushes and trees but so far I've only processed two types. The Japanese Barberries is my main image and I was so delighted to find these on our walk. I love them because they look like tiny red Christmas lights to me, blazing red and beautiful! The inset features Nandina berries, and there a were so many of these growing on people's properties. So pretty! I am also including the sunset from a couple of nights ago! :) Pam, I hope all is going ok for you! I was thinking about how much you've changed my life in the past couple of months. In fact, you've changed SO MANY people's lives in the past couple of months. I am a totally different person than I was when I began. Today I am a waggy-tailed, exuberant and overjoyed person with ambition and dreams and big plans for the future. It's totally amazing to me, and it's my wish that some of my boisterous passion for everything positive and happy will transfer to you and make your life better too. Sending my biggest virtual *HUGGGGGGSSSSS*!!!!!! :) Explored on 1/14/19, highest placement, #5.

2 more pictures above! :) What a pretty plant. They are very hardy too, and I was seriously considering getting some for around here since they grow well, don't need much water, and are deer resistant. However, when I did some reading about this plant, I found out that there is a much higher risk of getting Lyme Disease where these plants grow because they create a cool, moist microclimate that ticks like. Ticks on my property already carry Lyme Disease and the last thing I want to do is increase their population! Also, these plants are invasive and spread easily, forcing out native plants. Maybe not the best choice after all. If you would like to read the article I found, here's a link: Japanese-Barberry--A Ticking Time Bomb

2 more pictures and one note above! :) Check out my 365 number!!! Holy cow, I'm on #300!!! *falls over* Just a bit more than two months to go, and I'm still bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and having a blast with this awesome project!! :D Steve and I were planning to visit the beautiful Palmerton Arboretum today for fall pictures, but as we were drinking our coffee, we heard rain on the windows. It wasn't forecast for today and soon it stopped, but it was extremely blustery outside, and conditions were far from ideal, as they were yesterday when we went to Riverside Park in Grant's Pass. Instead, we went to Medford to do our weekly shopping and errands, and I took my camera with me to get my Picture of the Day. I already knew where I'd find my picture: in the parking lot of Costco, which was our destination. As we went into the store, I glanced at the shrubbery and trees as we walked past, and was happy to see plenty of excellent photo ops for me and I after we left the store, I spent about 15 minutes getting my pictures! :) I found some beautiful little flowers and got nice pictures of them (which I haven't processed tonight, but will share them soon as they are very pretty!) As I was taking pictures of the flowers, I saw some darling blackbirds relaxing around the bushes. I got a handful of fun pictures, one of which I'm showing tonight. :) And then there is my Picture of the Day, which are leaves from a very pretty bush called a Japanese Barberry. These plants are perfect examples of being boring from a standing-up position, and extremely beautiful when staring nose-close! I finished three pictures but I only have time to share this one tonight! (in a rush to get to bed this evening). Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Ford did not invent the automobile, but he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford to buy. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently. Wikipedia: Henry Ford Explored on October 28, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#48).

1 more picture above in a note! :) Thanks to Siobhan and Pattycake , I now know these gorgeous leaves are a species of Berberis bush. :D This is another picture I took of this shrub, growing in the parking lot of Costco. I planned to make this my Picture of the Day, but in the end Steve pointed out that the bokeh in the other picture made the image stronger in his mind. What do you think? I have the other version above in a note: which version (if either) do you like better? I have to say, I think I like this one better! :)